Communicating fair business

A. The world is telling us many things about running a business, or even just working in the world.

“to be successful you must have money”

“to be successful you must have a good job with a title”

“to be successful you must take shortcuts to help you get there sooner”

The Bible talks about Shortcuts in Proverbs 16:11-13

Proverbs 16:11–13 KJV 1900

11 A just weight and balance are the Lord’s: All the weights of the bag are his work. 12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: For the throne is established by righteousness. 13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; And they love him that speaketh right.

In the time of the Bible, markets were rampantly becoming more and more corrupt. In most transactions the business owners charged by weight. In order to balance their scales they would use a set of their own weights and then put what was being purchased on the other side. However, more often then not their weights were actually not what they advertised them to be. Their weights would be lighter so that the customer’s product would cost more.

2. Wickedness is always easier than virtue

a. In the case of the businessman here, it was quite simple to take his earnings and double it by just making lighter or heavier weights that would tip the scales in his favor.

b. One author states that .

Sin leads us to take shortcuts in all the Christian disciplines, and when we succumb to its temptation often enough, hypocrisy becomes the pattern of our life without our realizing it.

John F. MacArthur

3. Keep your business practices free of hypocrisy

a. As a Christian business person, you must unashamedly proclaim Christ in all you do. This should be exemplified in all of your business practices.

b. The world will always show us ways in which we can cheat the system in order to rise to the top, but we must not give in to these corrupt business practices.

4. How can we as Christians communicate our Just scales?

a. our scales are balanced by the weight of Jesus Christ.

b. our businesses should be based on the morals we find through Jesus

Unashamedly proclaim Christ in all that you do, so that there can be no hypocrisy found in you. If you can do this, God will bless your business ten-fold.

It might not be the fastest way to gain “success” in the world’s eyes, but the only thing that matters then is Christ and how He was glorified in the actions/dealings of my business.

God is Generous with us when we are Generously applying Christ to our lives, and business therein.